GlastonburyDog Bite Attorney

At Tehrani Law Group, LLC, our Connecticut dog bite lawyer is dedicated to helping people and families through challenging times. You need justice, accountability, and financial support. 

If you or your family member was injured by a dog, we are here to protect your rights. To set up a free, no commitment consultation with a top-rated Connecticut dog bite injury attorney, please do not hesitate to reach out to our Glastonbury law office today.

When proper precautions are not taken, dogs have the potential to be extremely dangerous. 

According to a report from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), around 800,000 Americans seek emergency medical attention for dog bites each year. If you or your loved one was bitten by a dog, it is crucial that you know your rights under our state’s law.

What Needs To Happen
When A Dog Bites Someone?

In Glastonbury, Animal Control must be contacted when a dog bites or attacks someone. Reports must be made to regional animal control, the town, or state where the animal is kept or owned. Reports must be made immediately so the attack can be investigated.  In fact, public health regulations legally require health care providers to report anyone who is suspected of being affected by diseases like rabies.

Aggressive Dog Quarantine Laws

An animal control officer is legally bound to quarantine any dog who has attacked or bitten someone off its owner’s property. If the dog bit someone on its owner’s property, the Animal Control Officer is required to make a judgmental call, and may still quarantine the animal.

Any dog that enters quarantine must stay in a facility approved by the Connecticut Department of Agriculture commissioner. These facilities are made up of: public pounds, kennels, veterinary hospitals, and other types of locations. Dog owners are responsible for any costs associated with the pick up of the animal, examination, and quarantining.

Quarantine serves 2 main purposes, firstly to make sure the dog does not have rabies. Secondly, quarantine gives time to monitor the behavior of the animal. It’s legally required to let any victim of a dog attack know that the dog has been quarantined within 24 hours.

Victim & Dog Owner Rights

The commissioner or animal control officer may issue any order dealing with the disposal or restraint of an aggressive dog. Again, the victim of a dog attack must be notified of these decisions within 24 hours.

Individuals who are aggrieved by any order an animal control officer has made has the right to request a hearing before the commissioner (within 14 days of issuance). The commissioner has the responsibility to affirm, revoke, or modify orders made by animal control officers.

In Connecticut dog owners are liable for any damages caused by their animal.  This covers damages made to body and property.  The exception is if the damage happened while an individual was abusing, teasing, tormenting the dog, or trespassing on the property where it lives or is kept. 

Law Enforcement Officers, or members of their household, where dogs have been assigned by the federal government, state, or town may be exempt from liability.  In addition, owners of dogs that attack children under the age of 7 who are trespassing or teasing the dog may be exempt from liability, unless it can otherwise be proven. 

Here are three things to know about Connecticut’s dog bite laws: 

• Strict Liability: In Connecticut, dog owners are strictly liable for harm caused by their animal (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 22-357). You are not required to prove negligence or misconduct on the part of the dog owner to bring a successful personal injury claim. A dog owner has a proactive obligation to protect people from their animal.
• Two-Year Statute of Limitations: There is a two-year statute of limitations for dog bite injury claims in Connecticut. With limited exceptions, you have two years from the date of the incident to file a lawsuit. Do not wait to get the ball rolling on your case: Consult with a Connecticut dog bite injury lawyer as soon as possible.
• Defenses May Be Raised: While dog bite injury claims are subject to a strict liability standard, a dog owner can raise defenses. The two primary defenses against dog bite injury claims in Connecticut are: 1) Trespassing and 2) Provocation. If you have questions about either type of defense, a Glastonbury dog bite injury attorney can help.

Common Types of Dog Bite Injuries in Glastonbury

Dog bite injuries can vary depending on the severity and location of the injury on the body. Typical dog bite-related injuries include:

Neck injuries

Some types of animals go for the weakest points on the body, and dogs are no exception.  Our neck and throats are incredibly vulnerable areas.  Neck injuries can be extremely serious as we have our airway and major arteries running to our lungs and brain.  

If a dog is able to crush the airway or sever a major artery it can mean very serious injury or death.  

Lacerations

A lacerating is a deep cut into the skin, or a tear.  These kinds of wounds go deeper than the skin and damage nerves, blood vessels, bones and muscle.  Many times with dog attacks the wounds are ragged and characterized as being uneven rough.  

These types of wounds tend to bleed more and take longer to heal.  Lacerations need to be looked at by medical professionals, and will often need stitches.  Avoid trying to repair the skin with skin tape or just bandaging it up.  As this can lock in debris and bacteria that can lead to an infection.   

Puncture wounds

A puncture wound is defined by the dog’s teeth breaking the skin.  While they may not be lacerations, they can be deep and run the risk of hitting arteries and causing infection.  Medical attention should be sought if a dog attack results in the breaking of the skin.  

In many cases, states have a scale of dog bite severity where the depth of puncture wounds is a key factor in establishing the severity of the attack. So the depth of puncture wounds should be documented by a healthcare provider. 

Nerve damage

When a dog bite extends to nerves there can mean long term damage.  The effects of nerve damage can range from temporary loss of function to permanent loss of sensation and/or paralysis.   

Broken bones

Larger breeds of dogs have the ability to exert enormous force with their jaws.  They are able to fracture, crush, and break human bones.  When enough force is applied to break bones skin and muscle is often also severely damaged. A terrifying statistic is that 12% of dog related deaths are babies.  Many dogs have been known to crush the heads of infants. 

Blindness

If the dog is able to bite or claw near your eyes it may cause damage to your eyes.  Our eyes are complex organs that are very vulnerable to damage.  Our corneas are easily damaged by surprisingly little force.  Clearly in cases when dog attacks cause blindness there is a loss of quality of life for the victim.  

When people think of dog bite injuries, they typically think of broken bones, puncture wounds, and lacerations. But infections are possibly the most dangerous complication of a dog bite. A dog’s mouth is basically a petri dish for germs, and any one of them could enter your bloodstream when you are bitten. In fact, many victims who think they’ve suffered only minor wounds will find themselves in the emergency room after a few days with a devastating infection.

If you were bitten, please carefully watch your symptoms and seek immediate medical care if you notice anything wrong. Then reach out to our Glastonbury personal injury lawyer to schedule a consultation with our legal team.

Rabies

Perhaps the most dangerous infection is caused by the rabies virus. It leads to inflammation in the brain and spinal cord and is almost always fatal. Common symptoms include fever and convulsions.

If you were bitten, head to the emergency room. A doctor can give you a rabies vaccine as a preventative measure. It is not an exaggeration to say that this vaccine is a lifesaver.

Capnocytophaga

This is another serious infection that can lead to fever, headaches, vomiting, blisters, and redness or swelling around the bite wound. Symptoms might take up to two weeks before they manifest, so victims must watch their wounds closely.

If left untreated, Capnocytophaga infection can lead to gangrene, heart attack, or kidney failure. Fortunately, a doctor can treat the infection by prescribing antibiotics, but prompt intervention is helpful.

Staph Infection

Even healthy people have staphylococcus bacteria in their skin. But dogs have a different Staph bacterium in their mouths which they can transfer during a dog bite. Look for common symptoms, such as:

• Red, swollen skin
• Pus leaking from the wound
• Boils
• Oozing blisters

Staph infections can cause serious complications, including gangrene and infection of the heart, joints, lungs, or bones. A doctor can prescribe antibiotics as treatment.

Sepsis

Sepsis is a deadly medical condition caused by infection. Technically, sepsis is caused by the body’s immune response to an infection, which ends up damaging healthy tissue. A person can suffer extreme pain but also elevated heart rate, low blood pressure, and confusion or disorientation.  

If left untreated, sepsis can lead to organ damage or possibly even sepsis shock and death. Probably the best way to treat or prevent sepsis is to treat the underlying infection, and doctors usually prescribe broad-spectrum antibiotics. Doctors can give drugs to alter the body’s immune response since it is this response that is threatening your health.

For this reason, we strongly encourage anyone with a dog bite to carefully check it several times a day. Any sign of infection—including redness, swelling, or oozing pus—should cause you to head to the emergency room.

Dog bite claims are complicated. As an experienced personal injury lawyer, Payman Tehrani, Esq is  a dedicated advocate for justice. You and your family deserve full and fair compensation after an attack by a dangerous dog. We are prepared to get started on your case right away. Among other things, our Connecticut dog bite injury attorney will: 

• Answer your questions and thoroughly review your case; 
• Investigate the dog bite, gathering evidence to establish liability and damages;
• Advocate for your best interests in any settlement negotiations; and
• Take your dog bite injury claim as far as needed to get the best results. 

At Tehrani Law Group, LLC, our Connecticut personal injury attorney has the skills, knowledge, and experience to handle the full spectrum of dog bite injury claims. If you or your child was harmed by a dangerous dog, we can help. Contact our legal team today for your free, no obligation case review. From our Glastonbury office, we proudly serve the people of Newington, Avon, South Windsor, Rocky Hill, New Britain, Bloomfield, Windsor, Kensington, Berlin, Bolton, and other areas.